


A Wrong Day’s Journey Into Right

by ICanDoThisAllDay



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-02
Updated: 2015-04-06
Packaged: 2018-03-20 21:11:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3665199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ICanDoThisAllDay/pseuds/ICanDoThisAllDay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Really, it’s not that complicated. All she did was to right some wrongs. No big deal, right? Right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> An ex-fugitive with a bad attitude, a mastermind who uses her powers for good and a series of strange events… This is a totally self-indulgent re-write in a most spectacular fix-it way. Let’s see where it takes us, shall we?

**Prologue**

_Outrageous! Awful! Heinous! Monstrous! Unacceptable! Repugnant! And a bunch of other adjectives!_

What a load of bollocks! What were they thinking? What was Dumbledore thinking? Was he even thinking? Or was he so busy roaming around God knows where, doing Merlin knows what? Did he even care?

 “Well, if nobody’s going to do anything, I will!”

******

“Something very odd happened today,” said Edgar Angus conversationally. He was a short, stocky man with a shockingly orange moustache and a cheerful demeanour.

“Hmm?” was the response of his disinterested co-worker, Perry Loof. Edgar found many things odd. Today, it seemed, was one of those days.

“It was the strangest thing. Wait until the Prophet gets wind of it. It will cause quite the uproar,” he continued, apparently disinterested in his friend’s disinterest. Loof found few things interesting.

“Somebody made an appeal for the Sirius Black case. They reckon he’s innocent! Can you believe it?”

“Really?” drawled Loof. “Innocent? Black?” His interest was piqued. This was indeed odd, as opposed to other instances Edgar found something or another _odd_. “Who made the appeal?”

“Andromeda Black. No, not Black anymore, Bonks or some other Muggle name. She came in this morning, all high and mighty. Walked straight into the Department of Magical Law Enforcement with her lawyer in tow. Completely bonkers. Looked alright though, didn’t she? Those Black women have good genes, despite all the inbreeding. Although I suppose she is the least crazy of that family…”

“And she claimed he was innocent? How on earth will she prove that?” Loof cut in, curious despite himself.

“Well, she reckons there are witnesses, doesn’t she? Supposedly, there were five witnesses who could testify for Black. She made a petition for the Wizengamot to review somebody’s memories in a Pensieve. And whoever it is, they are willing to testify under Veritaserum, apparently.  Can you believe it?”

“Memories? That’s a new one,” said Loof.

“Memories haven’t been used as evidence in a court of law since 1799, Amelia Bones reckons. Something about them being ‘unreliable’. Black’s lawyer insists there have been precedents, especially during the so-called ‘witch hunts.’ Back in the day, some wizard called Dicklish turned his wife to Muggle authorities and she was burnt at the stake. Wanted a younger wife and got rid of the old one, the sly bugger. They used his memories as evidence and he got convicted. Madame Bones was appalled when she heard that one. Perry, do you think they’ll assign me to record the hearing. If there is a hearing, that is.” Edgar looked morbidly fascinated.

“Hmm…” said Loof.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1**

**Schemers will scheme**

There _was_ a hearing.

And Edgar Angus was right; it caused quite the uproar. Daily Prophet correspondent Rupert Brimble called it “a cockamamie display of un-litigable drivel and a waste of tax-paying wizards’ money.” Fionnula Pemberton, founder of Pemberton Herbadashery, protested this statement in a letter to the editor, saying that “witches pay taxes as much as wizards, thank you very much.”

Caradoc Hughes, Junior Undersecretary to the Minister, said it was bound to be “an unmitigated disaster of epic proportions.” Rita Skeeter penned a brilliantly malicious expose on the many eccentricities of Andromeda Tonks, ranging from her banishment from the Black family, which she claimed was due to “Andromeda’s fascination with Muggle sex toys”, to her illicit dealings with the alleged wizarding branch of the Ku Klux Klan. Cornelius Fudge’s response to inquiries about Black’s innocence was: “Preposterous!”

However, the plan was so brilliant that even the Minister for Magic couldn’t sabotage it. Not that Fudge didn’t try of course. Oh, try he did, but the evidence was overwhelming. The Wizengamot, sans-Albus Dumbledore, debated and debated. After endless testimonies, arguments and counter-arguments, Sirius Black was a free man, at last. Sirius didn’t attend the hearings due to the fact that he was a wanted fugitive. Therefore, he didn’t see the look on Snape’s face when the potion master realised that it was essentially his own memories that set Black free, since the other witnesses were three teenagers, one of whom was not even called to testify due to his ‘unstable mental state’, and a werewolf. Oh, the agony.

******

The letter arrived on 31 July, which was coincidentally Harry Potter’s fifteenth birthday.

_  
Dear Mr. Black,_

_As the result of the final hearing concerning your innocence, the Wizengamot cleared you of the following charges:_

_▪ The murder of Peter Pettigrew_

_▪ The murder of twelve Muggles_

_▪ Being a member of the organisation called the Death Eaters_

_▪ Aiding and abetting He Who Must Not Be Named and the Death Eaters_

_As for other charges including but not limited to your escape from Azkaban prison and your status as an unregistered Animagus, you have been given a full pardon in accordance of Section 4-B of the Wizengamot Charter of Impunitas stipulating that allowances should be made in case of a miscarriage of justice._

_Hope you are well,_  
   
_Yours sincerely_

_Edgar Angus_

_The Wizengamot Administration Services_

At Grimmauld Place, Sirius sat down on the battered sofa in the drawing room, letter in his outstretched hand, eyes fixed on a particularly horrid looking spot on the wall. Was it blood? Quite possibly. The house needed a good cleaning. Or a good burning, he thought viciously. What he didn’t think about was the fact that he was free. Free. Cleared of all charges. Full pardon. He could, right this second, walk out of the door, stroll through the square and Apparate straight to Diagon Alley. Or the Ministry. Or where-the-fuck-ever. It was a heady sensation. And a little daunting.

But what on earth had possessed Andromeda to do something like that? He hadn’t even seen the woman in two decades, not since she eloped with Ted. When Remus had informed Sirius two weeks ago that his long lost cousin had made an appeal for him, Sirius was surprised and a little confused. He had written to her, of course, to demand what was going on. And to thank her. Although somehow he had missed the thank you part. Andromeda’s reply was short and curt: “It is about damned time somebody did something about this legal nonsense, don’t you think, Sirius?” Well, alright then. Damned time, indeed.

Naturally, he didn’t expect anything to come out of this. Wasn’t it the minister himself to set Dementors on a potential witness to Voldemort’s return? The man was a bloody idiot. A malicious one at that. So no, Sirius ignored the small –very small- fluttery of hope and got on with his life, such as it was. Seriously, since when things got his way? Not since the day he decided to switch… Best not to think about it now. Not unless he wanted to rapidly spiral into a Firewhisky-induced coma. Not today.

 _Harry_ , he thought suddenly. _I should owl Harry_. Or better yet, go to Privet Drive to wrangle those Muggles. Since he was free and all. Yes, he would go there and bring Harry here. To this place. That he hated with a burning passion. Bugger.

Standing up he stuffed the letter into his pocket, reluctant to part with it just yet. It wouldn’t do to lose it. One shouldn’t trust those freaks at the ministry. Better to carry the evidence of his freedom. Right then, _let’s go get Harry_.

“Sirius!” It was Remus, of course.

“Hey, Moony…” Instantaneously, he was enveloped in a tight hug. “I can’t believe it. Can you believe it? How are you feeling?”

“Good, I suppose. It was a bit of a shock. How did you hear?”

“I was at the hearing you daft bugger. Would I miss it? Oh, you should have seen the look on Snape’s face. He looked ready to expire. Or explode.”

“Snape? What the hell?” First Andromeda, now Snape… Was he transported into an alternate reality and somehow didn’t realise it until now?

“He was the key witness. I’ve told you this. Weren’t you listening? Anyway, it’s not important. You’re free! What do you want to do now? Do you want to go outside?”

“Yes. I’ll go get Harry.” First things first, he would deal with this whole madness later.

“Harry? But Dumbledore…” Remus said softly.

“Screw Dumbledore!”

“If you say so…”

 


End file.
